US unemployment aid applications rise to 336,000 WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week after reaching the lowest level in 5 1/2 years. But the broader trend suggests companies are laying off fewer workers and could step up hiring in the months ahead. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for first-time benefits rose 13,000 to a seasonally adjusted 336,000 in the week ending Aug. 17. That’s up from 323,000 in the previous we...

EAB to buy River Valley radio stationsWYNNE — East Arkansas Broadcasters (EAB) filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to purchase the MAX Media group of radio stations in the Arkansas River Valley that includes stations in Russellville, Morrilton, Atkins, and Dardanelle. The Russellville-based stations include River Country 102.3 KCJC, hot AC River hits 100.9 KWKK, classic rock “Sharpe 99.3 KVLD and River Talk 980 KCAB. In the Morrilton, station...

Judge approves Kodak plan to exit bankruptcy NEW YORK (AP) — Kodak doesn’t look a whole lot like it did when it filed for bankruptcy protection last year, but its executives and investors are hoping for a picture-perfect future. Many of its products and services are gone, including the camera-making business that made it famous more than a century ago. Also gone are scores of workers, manufacturing facilities, supply contracts and millions of dollars in investments. On Tuesday, U.S. Bank...

Unemployment rate up to 7.4 percentLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas’ unemployment rate for July was up one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.4 percent. The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services said Monday that the rate was the same in July 2012, though there are 1,700 fewer unemployed state residents than a year ago. The national unemployment rate fell by two-tenths of a percentage point to 7.4 percent for July. The agency says government employment fell by 13,900 jobs and was o...

Tepid US retail sales raising doubts about economy WASHINGTON (AP) — Bleaker outlooks at retailers like Wal-Mart and Macy’s are raising doubts that consumers will spend enough in coming months to lift the still-subpar U.S. economy. Though the economy is growing steadily, Americans are being hampered by weak pay, higher taxes and tepid hiring. Sluggish overseas economies are also slowing sales for U.S. retailers. It’s a picture the Federal Reserve will weigh in deciding whether to scale back it...

Dow slips to worst week of 2013 NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell Friday, closing out what was the worst week of the year for the Dow Jones industrial average. The market was dragged lower by a weak performance from retailers and companies sensitive to higher interest rates. Homebuilders and banking stocks were among the best performers. Stocks had a decent start to the week, but investors were hit hard the last three days. The Dow retreated 2.2 percent for the week, its worst in ...

Fewest Americans since 2007 seek jobless benefits WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dropped 15,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 320,000, the fewest since October 2007 — a sign of dwindling layoffs and steady if modest job growth. The Labor Department said Thursday that the less volatile four-week average fell 4,000 to 332,000, the fewest since November 2007 and the fifth straight decline. Companies are laying off fewer workers, a trend that has lowe...

Likely Labor regs would aid vets, disabled, unions WASHINGTON (AP) — With Thomas Perez now confirmed as head of the Labor Department, the agency is expected to unleash a flurry of new regulations that have been bottled up for months — a prospect that has business leaders worried and labor advocates cheering. Some long-awaited rules would help boost employment for veterans and the disabled, increase wages for home health care workers and set new limits for workplace exposure to dangerous silica...

Average credit card debt per borrower dips in 2Q LOS ANGELES (AP) — Americans remain stingy about carrying credit card balances and are making more of an effort to make timely payments, trends that have helped whittle the rate of late payments on credit cards down to the lowest level in nearly 20 years. The rate of credit card payments at least 90 days overdue fell in the second quarter to 0.57 percent. That’s the lowest level since 1994, credit reporting agency TransUnion said Tuesday. The ...

US jobless claims at 6-year low, but hiring lags WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans who have a job may take comfort in knowing that companies are laying off fewer people than at any time since before the Great Recession. The government said Thursday that weekly applications for U.S. unemployment benefits have averaged 335,500 over the past month. That’s the lowest level since November 2007, which was one month before the recession began. But while most companies have stopped cutting jobs, many rema...

Retailers see slow start to back-to-school season NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers are holding off on back-to-school shopping, and those who delay long enough might be rewarded with some steep discounts from desperate retailers. Revenue at stores open at least a year — an industry measure of a retailer’s health— rose 3.5 percent in July, the slowest pace since March, according to a tally of 11 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The figure, which excludes drugstores, was below...

Remington breaks ground on Lonoke plant expansion LONOKE (AP) — Remington Arms Company broke ground Thursday on an expansion to its ammunition plant in Arkansas, adding between 50 and 100 jobs in a project that the company says will help meet a growing demand by gun owners around the country. Officials with the North Carolina-based firm said they expected to complete work by June 2014 on the 35,000-square-foot building adjacent to its existing plant in Lonoke, located about 20 miles east of L...

ANO Unit 1 back online Wednesday nightLONDON — Arkansas Nuclear One says it's returned service to one of its nuclear units that's been offline since an accident in March that killed a worker. Entergy says Unit 1 needed "extensive restoration efforts" after the Easter Sunday accident that killed worker Wade Walters, 24. Walters died when a crane failed, causing an almost 600-ton stator to fall 30 feet. The accident, which happened in a non-nuclear area of the plant, knocked the pla...

Wal-Mart pushing for more beer salesAn interesting look this morning at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s push into the alcohol sector, a $45 billion industry. Two heirs of Sam Walton successfully spearheaded a campaign last year to allow alcohol sales in previously-dry Benton County. Dollar General has also been rapidly expanding its number of Arkansas stores that sell alcohol. Wal-Mart’s push into alcohol will put pressure on entrenched players, from Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST:US) and ...

Eyebrow waxing and cafe lattes at the drugstore? At some Walgreen stores, there are health clinics staffed by nurse practitioners, cafes that sell barista-prepared coffee and Eyebrow Bars where trained professionals groom unruly facial hair. Oh, and pharmacists fill prescriptions, too. The nation’s major drugstore chains are moving beyond simply doling out drugs and Kleenex. They’re opening more in-store clinics and offering more health care products in part to serve an aging population that...

US consumer borrowing rose $13.8 billion in June WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans borrowed more in June to buy cars and attend schools. But they were frugal again with their credit cards, as many remain wary of taking on high-interest debt. Consumers increased their borrowing $13.8 billion in June from May to a seasonally adjusted $2.85 trillion, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday in its monthly report on consumer credit. That’s the highest level ever. The category that includes credit card debt ...

Fledgling 3-D printing industry finds home in NYC NEW YORK (AP) — It looks like a bakery. A warm glow emanates from the windows of big, oven-like machines, and a dusting of white powder covers everything. This space in an anonymous building in New York’s Long Island City neighborhood, just across the river from Manhattan, isn’t cooking up breads and pastries, however. It’s a factory, filled with 3-D printers “baking” items by blasting a fine plastic dust with lasers. When a production run is ...

Mower firm expands to multi-terrain vehiclesBATESVILLE (AP) — A Batesville-based company that makes high-end riding lawnmowers said Wednesday it completed an expansion for a new line of multi-terrain vehicles and will add up to 200 new employees. Bad Boy Mowers said Wednesday it will hire the new workers over the coming three to five years. An affiliate of the company, Intimidator Inc., is producing the multi-terrain vehicles. The Intimidator series features a 1,600-pound payload and a ...

Growth at US service firms jumps on new orders WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. service firms expanded in July at the fastest pace since February, fueled by a brisker month of sales and a jump in new orders. The increase suggests economic growth could be picking up after a weak first half of the year. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of service-sector growth rose in July to 56.0, up from 52.2 in June. Any reading above 50 indicates expansion. The survey covers businesse...